San Bernardino County was recently honored with 160 awards from the National Association of Counties, and I'm pleased to announce that several of these programs took place in the First District.

NACo’s annual achievement awards cover 18 categories including criminal justice and public safety, county administration, information technology, health, and many more.

Here are a few award winners from the First District:

Environmental Remediation of Illegal Cannabis Operations

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office received an award for Environmental Remediation of Illegal Cannabis Operations. Most of these illegal operations take place in the rural desert regions of the First and Third Districts, and this program allowed the newly formed Environmental Cannabis Unit to address violations such as water theft, unpermitted structures, illegal weapons, chemical waste, and water and land pollution. 

"By filing charges and requiring remediation by the landowners to address and correct code violations, San Bernardino County saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in cleanup costs," the release states. "They garnered reimbursement costs related to wildlife and sheriff’s operations while simultaneously improving the quality of life, the environment, and property values for residents in areas previously plagued by large scale illegal cannabis operations."

The program was a collaborative effort that also included San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, San Bernardino County Code Enforcement, San Bernardino County Fire/Hazmat, and the California State Resource Control Board.

Record Clearing, Resource and Employment Fairs

The Public Defender's Office and San Bernardino County Workforce Development received an award for their Record Clearing, Resource and Employment Fairs, which were co-hosted by our First District Office, Victor Valley College and Abundant Living Family Church HD. These events provided a one-stop shop for residents to meet employers, interview for jobs, enroll in educational/trade programs, and get their records cleared by Public Defender staff members.

Workforce Development also received an award for its Rapid Response Community Resource Fair, which provided quick assistance to the 300 employees who were abruptly laid off by United Furniture Industries (UFI) in Victorville last November. 

Diggin' It and Blue Blocks Museum Programs

Finally, Victor Valley Museum received an achievement award for its "Diggin' It" event, which educates visitors in the archaeological and paleontological sciences. The museum was also honored for its Blue Blocks imagination space in the "Activating an Underused Community Asset with Play" category. 

I'd like to thank all of our hardworking County employees for the great work they do every day. It's exciting to see our County honored for so many innovative government programs that positively benefit our residents. Well done!

View all of the awards here